cliff. >> we have determine thursday is some secret scorecard. a scorecard which based on testimony votes -- >> reporter: i think there's house -- >> i think there's potentially i hope not to push a tax increase through the house, and we will see what happens. >> reporter: while the speaker denied he's bringing down the hammer, stating in a letter that "there is no scorecard," -- >> stop spending now! stop spending now! >> reporter: it's clear, tea partiers are not rallying to shut down the government anymore. some are even leaving room for compromise on raising taxes on wealthier americans. >> are all of you saying that you would not vote to raise income tax rates on the top 2%? are you all basically saying that's out of the question? >> but the problem is that i wanted to -- i wanted real cuts, real cuts. i'm not saying yes, and i'm not saying no. >> reporter: even as conservative colleagues are holding their ground. >> the simple fact is raising taxes is not going grow our economy. >> i remain the most optimistic person in this town. but we've